I must decrease." I said last Sunday, that in any work which is to live, or be really beautiful, there must be the spirit of the Cross. That which is to be a temple to God must never have the marble polluted with the name of the architect or builder. There can be no real success, except when a man has ceased to think of his own success. A man is truly saved only when he has ceased to think of his own salvation.

Thirdly: It was a spirit of personal lowliness. "I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling." Partly, this refers to his bodily infirmities and personal disadvantages; but partly, too, it means deep humility and unaffected modesty. For the expression "fear and trembling" cannot have reference to his bodily infirmities.

Now, remember who it was who said this,-the bold, daring St. Paul, whose soul was all of flame, whose every word was a half-battle, who stood alone on Mars Hill, and preached to the scoffing Athenians "Jesus and the Resurrection." How little they who heard his ponderous sentences could have conceived that "weakness, and fear, and much trembling" of the invisible spirit!

But again: see how this tells on the tone of his ministry. St. Paul did not begin with asserting his prelatical dignity and apostolical authority. He began with declaring truth, and that "in trembling." Then, when men disputed his right to teach, he vindicated his authority, but not till then. And this is a lesson for modern times. The Apostolical Succession is not the ground on which we can claim to be the Nation's teachers. It is true for Order-but not for Truth. Each minister must prove his apostolical succession by apostolic truthfulness, sincerity, and courage-as St.

Paul proved his-and by his charity, and by his Christ-like meekness. "Truly the signs of an Apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds."

The test of his truthfulness being "in demonstration of the spirit and of power."

NOTE.-Hebraism, Rom. viii. 21. "Glorious liberty." What is meant by "powerful spirit?"-Proof.

LECTURE VII.

November 2, 1851.

1 CORINTHIANS, iii. 1-10.—" And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.I have fed you with milk, and not with meat for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.-For ye are yet carnal for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men ?-For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal ?— Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man ?—I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.-So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.-Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.-For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.-According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon."

THE two former chapters of this Epistle refer to St. Paul's ministry while at Corinth,, where there existed a church made up of very peculiar elements. The first of these was Roman, and composed of freedmen, through whose influence society became democratic. The second element

was Greek, refined, intellectual, inquisitive, and commercial, and this rendered the whole body restless, and apt to divide itself into parties. In addition to these was the Jewish element, which at this time had degenerated into little more than a religion of the senses. From all this there arose, first, a craving for an intellectual religionappealing merely to taste and philosophical perceptions. But St. Paul refused to preach to them eloquently or philosophically, "lest the Cross of Christ should be made of none effect." St. Paul knew that the human heart often rests in eloquent expression of religious sentiment, instead of carrying it on into religious action. For strong feelings often evaporate in words. Strong expressions about selfsacrifice or self-denial, about a life sustained high above the world, often satisfy the heart and prevent it from rising to the grace talked about; whereas Christianity is not a Creed, but a Life, and men who listen to a preacher only to find an intellectual amusement, or pictures of an ideal existence, are not thereby advanced one step nearer to the high life of a Christian.

Secondly. From the Jewish element there arose a craving for a religion of signs; and St. Paul refused to teach by signs. He would not base Christianity upon miracles, or external proofs; because truth is its own evidence, and the soul alone must be the judge whether a truth is from God or not. Miracles address the senses, and the appetites of hunger and thirst; and it were preposterous to say that the eye, the ear, or the touch can determine accurately of Divine truth while the soul cannot; that the lower part of our nature is an unerring judge, while the soul alone is not infallible in its decisions. For

"the natural man (understandeth) receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him.” "Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect, yet not the wisdom of this world, but the wisdom of God, which is hidden in a mystery."

There

A third consequence of this peculiar constitution of Corinthian society was, its Party spirit. This arose out of its democratic character. Faction does not rend a society in which classes are indisputably divided beyond appeal, as is the case in Hindustan. Where superiority is unquestioned between class and class, rivalry will exist only between individuals. But where all are by social position equal, then there will be a struggle for superiority: for in God's world there is not one monotony of plains without hills, nor a human society on one dead level of equality. There is an above, and there is a below. are angels, principalities, powers there; and here orders, degrees, and ranks. And the difficulty in social adjudicature is, to determine who ought to be the leaders, and who are to be the led; to abolish false aristocracies, and to establish the true. Now, to say that this is what men aim at, is to say that dispute, faction, party spirit, animosity must exist till that real order is established which is called the Kingdom of God on earth; in which each person is in his right place, and they only rule who are fit to rule. To-day therefore, our subject will relate to this third consequence; and I shall speak of St. Paul's spiritual treatment of the Corinthian Church whilst in a state of faction. I. His economic management of Truth.

II. His depreciation of the Human in the march of progress, by his manifestation of God in it.

I. His economic management of Truth.

I use this word, though it may seem pedantic, because I find no other to answer my purpose so well; it is borrowed from the times of the early Christian Church: "Economic," when used in reference to the management of a household, means a frugal use of provision in opposition to extravagant expenditure. An economist apportions to each department the sum necessary, and no more.

And in the spiritual dispensation of Truth, economy means that prudent distribution which does not squander it uselessly away, when it can do no good, but which apportions to each age, and to each capacity, the amount it can turn to good account. It implies a prudent, wise reserve. Now the principle of this we find stated in the second verse: "I have fed you with milk, and not with meat." And although in its application some errors might be committed by withholding truths which should be granted, and by failing to distribute them at the required time, still the principle is a simple and a true one. different ages, different kinds of food. For childhood, or "babes in Christ," milk. For them that are of full age, or who have the power of discerning both good and evil, "strong meat." But reverse this, and the child becomes sick and fevered. And the reason of this is, that what is strength to the man is injury to the child-it cannot bear it.

For

The doctrine which the Apostle calls "strong meat," if taught at first, would deter from further discipleship, and Christ expresses the same thing when he says: "No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for the rent is made worse. Neither do men put new